Fred VanVleet alluded to the inevitable bumps in the road the Raptors would experience as they felt their way into the NBA regular season. It didn’t take long for some to pop up.
The Raptors ran out of gas in a poor-shooting second half and dropped their opener in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, losing 113-99 to the New Orleans Pelicans. Toronto made just three three-pointers in the final two quarters, squandering a double-digit lead as the Pelicans won going away.
Pascal Siakam had 20 points for the Raptors while Kyle Lowry finished with 18.
Brandon Ingram, last season’s most improved player, had 24 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for New Orleans as the Pelicans shot better than 50 per cent from the field.